Vodafone India was the biggest spender in the recent spectrum auction that raised a total $9.9 billion for the Goverment. The Operator acquired spectrum in all its key telecom circles in for a total cost of ~$USD3 billion (INR 202.8 billion).
Vodafone said the new spectrum will significantly enhances the coverage, capacity and speed of Vodafone India’s 4G data services in its key circles, complementing existing high-quality 2G and 3G voice and data capabilities.
Vodafone India acquired a total of 2 x 82.6 MHz FDD and 200 MHz TDD spectrum in the auction, providing high-capacity, multi-band 4G capability operating across the 1800, 2100 and 2500 MHz bands.
Vodafone India claims that it now has 17 circles with 4G capability, covering 91% of the company’s total revenues and 94% of mobile data revenues.
Vodafone’s investment totals INR 202.8 billion (€2.74 billion) of which INR 101.4 billion (€1.36 billion) is payable up-front. The spectrum acquired has a 20-year term.
Vodafone India has the largest voice and data traffic usage within the Vodafone Group and has more than 200 million customers. At 30 June 2016, Vodafone India had 69.7 million data users, of which 32.3 million use 3G/4G.
